MAL. Why do we hold our tongues, That most may claim this argument for ours? DON. What fhould be spoken here, 6 Where our fate, hid within an augre-hole, May rufh, and feize us? Let's away; our tears Are not yet brew'd. MAL. Nor our ftrong forrow on ' and Macduff are folicitous about her, Macbeth, by his unconcern, betrays a consciousness that the fainting is feigned." I may add, that a bold and hardened villain would from a refined policy have affumed the appearance of being alarmed about her, left this very imputation fhould arise against him: the irrefolute Macbeth is not fufficiently at ease to act such a part. here, Where our fate, hid within an augre-hole,] MALONE. The oldeft copy reads only 6" in an augre-hole." I have adopted the correction of the fecond folio,-within. Mr. Malone reads "Here, where our fate, hid in an augre-hole." STEEVENS. In the old copy the word here is printed in the preceding line. The lines are disposed so irregularly in the original edition of this play, that the modern editors have been obliged to take many liberties fimilar to mine in the regulation of the metre. In this very speech the words our tears do not make part of the following line, but are printed in that fubfequent to it. Perhaps however the regulation now offered is unneceffary; for the word where may have been used by our author as a diffyllable. The editor of the second folio, to complete the measure, reads within an augrehole. A word having been accidentally omitted in K. Henry V : Let us die in [fight]," Mr. Theobald, with equal impropriety, reads there" Let us die inftant:" but I believe neither tranfcriber or compofitor ever omitted half a word. MALONE. 66 More fkilful and accurate compofitors than thofe employed in our prefent republication, cannot easily be found; and yet, I believe, even they will not deny their having occasionally furnished examples of the omiffion of half a word. STEEVENS. within an augre-hole,] So, in Coriolanus: confin'd STEEVENS. 7 on -] The old copy-upon. STEEVENS, The foot of motion. BAN. Look to the lady: [Lady MACBETH is carried out, And when we have our naked frailties hid, 8 And queftion this moft bloody piece of work, And when we have our naked frailties hid, That fuffer in expofure,] i. e. when we have clothed our halfdreft bodies, which may take cold from being expofed to the air. It is poffible that in fuch a cloud of words, the meaning might escape the reader. STEEVENS. The porter in his fhort fpeech had obferved, that "this place { i. e. the court, in which Banquo and the rest now are, ] is too cold for hell. Mr. Steevens's explanation is likewife fupported by the following paffage in Timon of Athens: Call the creatures, "Whole naked natures live in all the fpight Of wreakful heaven." MALONE. 9 In the great hand of God I ftand; and, thence, Against the undivulg'd pretence I fight Of treasonous malice.] Pretence is intention, defign, a fenfe in which the word is often used by Shakspeare. So, in The Winter's Tale: " confpiring with Camillo to take away the life of our fovereign lord the king, thy royal husband, the pretence whereof being by circumitance partly laid open." Again, in this tragedy of Macbeth: "What good could they pretend?" i. e. intend to themselves. Banquo's meaning is,-in our pyesent ftate of doubt and uncertainty about this murder, I have nothing to do but to put myself under the direction of God; and relying on his fupport, I here declare myself an eternal enemy to this trea fon, and to all its further defigns that have not yet come to light. STEEVENS. See Vol. IV. p. 227, n. 6.-Hand, as Mr. Upton has obferved, is here used for power, or providence. So, in Pfalm xxii: "Deliver my foul from the sword, my darling from the power [Heb. MACB. ALL. МАСВ. And fo do I. So all. Let's briefly put on manly readiness, And meet i'the hall together. ALL. Well contented. [Exeunt all but MAL. and DoN. MAL. What will you do? Let's not confort with them: To fhow an unfelt forrow, is an office Which the falfe man does eafy: I'll to England. DON. To Ireland, I; our feparated fortune Shall keep us both the fafer: where we are, There's daggers in men's fmiles: the near in blood, The nearer bloody. * MAL. This murderous fhaft that's fhot, 3 Hath not yet lighted; and our fafeft way from the hand] of the dog." In King Henry V. we have again the fame expreffion: 3 1111 Let us deliver “Our puissance into the hand of God." MALONE. the near in blood, The nearer bloody.] Meaning, that he fufpe&ed Macbeth to be the murderer; for he was the nearest in blood to the two princes, being the coufin-german of Duncan. STEEVENS. Hath not yet lighted; ] The defign to fix the murder upon fome innocent perfon has not yet taken effed. JOHNSON. The Shaft is not yet lighted, and though it has done mifchief in its flight, we have reafon to apprehend fill more before it has spent its force and falls to the ground. The end for which the murder was cominitted, is not yet attained. The death of the king only, could neither infure the crown to Macbeth, nor accomplish any other purpose, while his fons were yet living, who had therefore juft reason to apprehend they should be removed by the fame means. Such another thought occurs in Buffy D'Ambois, 1607: "The chain-fhot of thy luft is yet aloft, "And it muit murder," &c. STEEVENS. Is, to avoid the aim. Therefore, to horfe; SCENE IV. Without the Cafle. Enter ROSSE, and an old Man. OLD M. Threefcore and ten I can remember well: Within the volume of which time, I have seen Hours dreadful, and things ftrange; but this fore night Hath trifled former knowings. Ah, good father, ROSSE. act, Threaten his bloody ftage: by the clock, 'tis day, darkness does the face of earth intomb, When living light should kiss it? ] After the murder of king Duffe, (fays Holinfhed) "for the space of fix moneths togither there appeared no funne by day, nor moone by night, in anie part of the realme, but ftill was the fky covered with continual clouds; and sometimes fuch outrageous winds arofe with lightenings and tempefts, that the people were in great fear of present deftruction." —It is evident that Shakspeare had this paffage in his thoughts. MALONE. ރ OLD M. 'Tis unnatural, Even like the deed that's done. On Tuefday last, ROSSE. And Duncan's horfes, (a thing moft Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race," Turn'd wild in nature, broke their flalls, flung out, Contending 'gainft obedience, as they would make War with mankind. OLD M. 'Tis faid, they eat each other. ROSSE. They did fo; to the amazement of mine eyes, That look'd upon't. Here comes the good Mac duff: See note at the end of the play, with a reference to p. 78. STEEVENS. in her pride of place,] Finely expreffed, for confidence in its quality. WARBURTON. In a place of which fhe feemed proud;-in an elevated fituation. 6 by a moufing owl ] i. e. by an owl that was hunting for mice, as her proper prey. WHALLEY. This is also found among the prodigies confequent on king Duffe's murder: "There was a Sparhawk ftrangled by an owl." 7 minions of their race,] Theobald reads: minions of the race, very probably, and very poetically. JOHNSON. STEEVENS. Their is probably the true reading, the fame expreffion being found in Romeus and Juliet, 1562, a poem which Shakspeare had certainly read: "There were two ancient flocks, which Fortune high did place "Above the reft, endew'd with wealth, the nobler of their |